Misunderstood
by FlowersRcute
Summary: Ichigo and Ryou are secretly in love, and has a hard time getting together. Quite understandable when we look at the fact that Ichigo is still seeing Mayasa, and that Ryou keeps walking in on Ichigo and Keiichiro in slightly suggestive situations.


Hi! My name is Rei, or that's what I call myself... It is absolutely no relation to any anime, and is simply a shorter version of my name "Camurei"...

Okay, this is my very first fanfic, and I will deny it's existence if anyone asks because I do not write fanfiction, nor do I read fanfiction, nor do I associate with fanfiction, in case anyone wants to know...

This story is a "oneshot" I believe it's called, as in there won't be any other chapters after it. It's pretty much plotless and is just about Ichigo and Ryou getting together... They might all be a bit OOC, but that couldn't be hepled since, well, yeah...

Anyway, let me apologize now for my deplorable use of Japanese, I'm still in the process of learning, and any I will be VERY grateful for any help...

**Disclaimer:** Okay, people always put this in front of their stories, and at first it totally stumped me since it's pretty obvious that none of us own TMM... but then I studied copyright and all that other stuff at school, and it all made a lot of sense (and I got scared of getting arrested)... so I do NOT own Tokyo Mew Mew, and if I did... well, actually I never would... but for the sake of argument, if I owned TMM I'd walk around with a paper bag over my head so no one would know it's me... (O yeah, and I don't own Mercedes either, though I wish I did...)

Anyway (again)... Enjoy the story!

* * *

Ichigo knocked tentatively on the door, hoping he wouldn't hear her, but at the same time hoping he would. She had promised Mayasa she would ask, and she couldn't break her promise. 

The door suddenly opened and she found herself staring into his deep blue eyes. They were cold, yet so mesmerising... _If only he wouldn't look at me like that, if only his eyes could hold a little bit of warmth... Wha-? What am I thinking? _

But she knew what she was thinking, despite the fact that her thoughts were completely unwanted.

"What?" he asked suddenly, pulling her away from her thoughts.

"Um... well, I was just wondering... " Ichigo began shyly, not really sure how to ask. _Get a grip on yourself!_ she chided herself, then continued, "I was wondering if I could get the afternoon off?"

"No... Why would you want the rest of the afternoon off? Who do you expect to take your place, huh?" he said in his usual haughty manner.

"Well, Mayasa asked me on a date, but I guess—" she started in what she hoped was a sad, longing voice, but was soon interrupted.

"Fine, go on your stupid date with Mayasa, but I want you to be early tomorrow or else I'm docking your pay," he said emotionless, though Ichigo imagined she heard a tiny bit of anger in his usually calm voice. _What now?_ she wondered. _O yeah, I'm supposed to be really happy..._ _Um... okay... happy... sure..._

"Thank you Shirogane-san!" she yelled loudly in an over-cheery voice, falling around his neck to give him a hug.

"Whatever, go before I change my mind," he said impatiently.

Ichigo let go of him and went skipping merrily down the hallway, not noticing the glare he shot her before slamming his door shut.

Ichigo changed out of her uniform and into a top that buttoned up till under her chin and covered at least half her arm. Her frilly white skirt that hung far below her knees went well with the pink top. She had dressed like this on purpose, giving Mayasa nothing to look at. Yes, she looked almost like a nun, but it couldn't be helped. She didn't want to look attractive.

She pasted the fake smile back on her face and skipped towards the Café door, swinging her little handbag as she went. "Ichigo?" a voice called from the kitchen.

"Mmm?" she asked, turning around to face Keiichiro. He signalled for her to come to the kitchen.

"Yeah?" she asked once she was inside the kitchen.

"I wanted to give you something before you leave," he said, turning from her for a second to retrieve something.

"Here," he said, holding out a small device. Ichigo frowned.

"What is it?" she asked, perplexed.

"It's sort of a panic button," he said, and then noting her confused look, he continued close to her ear, "In case you want to get out of your date with Mayasa-san."

He winked at her shocked expression, and then helped her hide the small device inside her shirt. "Thank you so much, Keiichiro-san!" she said, truly grateful. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug before planting a big wet kiss on his lips. She was so grateful that she didn't notice that the kiss was a bit too long to be called "friendly". She then gathered all her stuff again, and ran for the door. "Oops, sorry Shirogane-san!" she called as she almost knocked him over running out the kitchen, and continued to the Café door without waiting for a reply.

"What was that about?" Ryou asked, coming into the kitchen. He was frowning most unbecomingly. Keiichiro, who was kneading some dough or the other, pretended ignorance. "What?" he asked innocently.

Ryou sighed. "It's your business, I suppose," he said, his voice void of emotion once again. He then left the kitchen, slamming the door rather hard as he went.

"If only you knew, Ryou," Keiichiro said to himself, slightly concerned about what Ryou had seen and what he had deduced from it.

* * *

Ichigo stood waiting for Mayasa at the bus top. _Why on earth did he let me go? First he refuses, and then he agrees after I mentioned why I wanted the afternoon off... Maybe I sounded _too_ sad... Maybe I should just have been angry... O well, I can't change that now..._

"Ichigo!" Mayasa called, waving at her as he approached. He was carrying a picnic basket. Ichigo lit up her face at his arrival, though her face muscles protested at this forced action.

"Aoyama-kun!" she called, waving back. She hurried over to him and walked alongside him as they made their way to the park.

"So you got off work?" he asked conversationally. Ichigo had a hard time controlling her intense desire to go "DUH!" in his face. Instead, she smiled and said, "Yeah! It took some convincing, but Shirogane gave in eventually."

"That's good," Mayasa said, a pleased smile on his face. "I really wanted to spend some time with you today." Silence. _O yeah_, Ichigo thought suddenly, _I have to reply..._ "I _really_ wanted to spend time with you too, Aoyama-kun!" she said, looking lovingly at him.

Mayasa took Ichigo's hand and gave it a squeeze.

Mayasa spread a blanket over the grass under a shady tree when they arrived at the park. He unpacked the picnic basket and placed a variety of fruit and jelly on the blanket.

Ichigo and Mayasa sat down on the blankets next to each other and helped themselves to the fruit and stuff. They talked pleasantly, punctuating the conversation with occasional laughs. Soon, but not soon enough for Ichigo, the sun started setting. Mayasa moved closer to Ichigo, putting his arm around her waist. He gently pushed her onto her back and brought his lips onto hers. Ichigo was revolted when she felt his tongue slipping into her mouth, but responded to his kiss as was her duty as his "girlfriend". He lifted his head and looked lovingly into her eyes. "I want to tell you something, " he said in a low, intense whisper. Ichigo panicked. She knew what he wanted to tell her, and she knew she wouldn't be able to respond truthfully to him. She casually slid her hand onto her tummy, ready to push the panic button if the need arose. "I really..." he paused and kissed her nose, and then continued, "...really..." and Ichigo pushed the button, "...really lo-" And then Ichigo's cell phone rang. He sat up and allowed her to do the same. Ichigo answered her phone.

"Moshimoshi, Ichigo speaking," she said, uttering a relieved sigh within.

"Hi Ichigo. Something happened at the Café and we need you here right away," Keiichiro said.

"I'll be right there. Arigatou Keiichiro-san," she said and hung up. She looked over at Mayasa who was busy packing up their things.

"You have to go?" he asked, a sad look on his face.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, getting up, her face equally sad. She felt guilty about what she was doing to him. "I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she ran off to the Café.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Shirogane asked as she entered the empty Café.

"Uh...um... Keiichiro-san said you needed my help with something," she replied, looking at her toes.

"Me?" he asked surprised.

"No, no," Ichigo said, waving her hands in front of his face, "not _you_ specifically. Just the people at the Café in general." She looked into his eyes for a fleeting second, and saw pain and anguish in the blue depths. Her eyes pleaded with him for forgiveness, but he turned away from her and went upstairs. Ichigo made her way to the kitchen, a dark cloud hanging over her heart.

"I hope I was on time?" Keiichiro asked as she entered the kitchen.

"Yeah, you were on time. Thanks again, Keiichiro-chan," she said sullenly.

"What's wrong, Ichigo-chan?" he asked, leaving the dishes he was scrubbing and walking over to her. She didn't notice the fact that she had called him "chan", or that he had done the same. It came so naturally out of gratitude she didn't bother to correct herself.

"I don't know what to do!" she wailed. Keiichiro put his arms around her and allowed her to cry on his chest. He stroked her hair reassuringly, looking into space with a worried expression.

"You know how much I love him," she sobbed. "How long can I continue with this?"

"Don't worry Ichigo, things will work out in the end," he said, stroking her hair. After a while, she calmed down and wiped the tears from her face. She laughed nervously. "Sorry, I got your shirt all wet," she said, stroking the wet part of his chest.

"That's okay. Go sit down, I'll bring you some coffee and cake."

A while later, Keiichiro and Ichigo were sitting at one of the Café's tables, chatting over some much needed coffee and delicious cake.

"He was going to tell me he loves me," Ichigo said suddenly.

"Who? Mayasa?" Keiichiro asked. All the "he's" were confusing him.

"Yeah. That's why I pushed the button," Ichigo said. "Which reminds me..." Ichigo lifted her shirt and attempted to remove the button, but without success. "I can't get it off, Keiichiro-chan," she said, standing up.

"Allow me to assist you," he said, walking over to her. Ichigo lifted her shirt again, blushing slightly. The button was secured by a belt-type strip of cloth that tied behind her back. Keiichiro put his arms around her middle and was required to press her rather firmly against him as he unbuckled the belt. The device, probably from all the fiddling, suddenly gave off a spark, sending a shock through Ichigo. "Owe!" Ichigo cried, jerking at the pain. Keiichiro lost his balance and fell onto her, crashing into the table and making a whole lot of noise in the process.

"What was all that noise?" Ryou asked, coming downstairs with an annoyed frown. He saw Keiichiro on top of Ichigo, her shirt riding up and his hands around her waist. He blushed and turned around. "Uh.. sorry," he said, and walked upstairs.

A blushing Keiichiro got up from a red-faced Ichigo, and helped her stand up. "That probably didn't look too good," Keiichiro said concerned, discarding the device on an empty chair. "Yeah," Ichigo said, new tears forming in her eyes. They quickly fixed the table and chairs. "I'm sorry to ask, but do you think you can take me home? It's pretty dark outside," Ichigo said, looking pleadingly at Keiichiro.

"Sure, let me just get that," he said as the phone began to ring. He answered, talked for a while, and then looked over at the waiting Ichigo. "Ichigo, could you go ask Ryou to take you home? This is sort of important," he said. He knew she didn't want to go with Ryou, and he sympathised with her, but the call really was important and it was impossible to delay it. A pale Ichigo merely nodded and went upstairs.

"Come in," Shirogane called from behind his door after Ichigo had knocked. Ichigo entered hesitantly.

"I've been meaning to talk to you, Keiichiro," Ryou said, turning from the computer. "O, it's you," he said upon spotting Ichigo. "What?" he asked shortly.

"I was wondering... could you take me home, please?" she asked avoiding his gaze.

"Why don't you ask Keiichiro?" Ryou asked somewhat bitingly. Ichigo felt her heart throb, threatening to break any second. Why did he have to be like that?

"He- he's busy on the phone with someone important," she stuttered, still refusing to look at him.

"Fine," he said, and walked past her. Ichigo followed him outside and into a fancy Mercedes sport's car. Ryou got into the car and started driving. "So...um, how are you?" Ichigo asked after a while, not being able to stand the silence any longer. Ryou looked at her strangely, and then replied, "I'm fine. You?"

Ichigo shivered. She wanted to tell him that she felt awful, that her heart was broken, that she was depressed, and that she wanted his comfort. Instead, she said, "I'm fine thanks." Silence. More silence.

"Uh... did you enjoy your date?" he asked, keeping his concentration on the road ahead of him.

"I guess so," she said. She didn't want to rub it in. She hated hurting him. Again there was silence. Finally, they stopped in front of Ichigo's house. Ichigo just sat there, not realising he was waiting for her to get out. "Um... so I'll see you tomorrow. And don't be late, Strawberry," he said.

"Eh, sure. Bye." And with that, she got out of the car and ran into the house. Ryou stared after her with a surprisingly soft expression in his eyes.

_**

* * *

**_

_**DING DONG! DING DONG!**_

The doorbell chimed and Ichigo stood up from where she was having breakfast to answer the door. She opened the door and saw Ryou standing in front oh her. "Ry- eh, Shirogane-san, what are you doing here?" she stuttered, completely discomforted by his presence. "Keiichiro wanted me to come pick you up. I don't know why," he said emotionlessly.

"Who's at the door, Honey?" Ichigo's mum asked. She appeared beside Ichigo and smiled at Ryou.

"Ohayou gozaimasu," Ryou said, bowing respectfully. Mrs. Momomiya returned the greeting, and invited him inside.

"I really must decline, Momomiya-sama. I came to get Ichigo-san for work," Ryou said uncomfortably.

"Okay then, but at least take some cookies," Mrs. Momomiya said, rushing to the kitchen to fetch the cookies. Ryou looked at Ichigo and saw that she was blushing profusely.

"What's wrong, baka?" he asked, amused.

"Nothing!" she spat angrily, stomping upstairs to get her things. Mrs. Momomiya returned and handed him the cookies. "Now you take care, okay?" she said cheerily.

"Arigatou gozaimasu," Ryou said.

"Such a sweet boy," Mrs. Momomiya muttered to herself as she left again. Ichigo returned then and they left for the Café.

This morning, Ryou walked with Ichigo instead of driving. His car was being repaired after he had overheated it with excessive driving last night. (He had gone for a joy-ride at top speed after he had dropped Ichigo). Up ahead, Ichigo saw someone she really did _not_ want to see. "Oh no," she said out loud before she could stop herself. Ryou frowned at her, and then looked ahead to see Mayasa approaching them.

"Ichigo!" Mayasa called, waving at her and running to meet her.

"Aoyama-kun!" Ichigo greeted cheerfully. Mayasa fell in next to her as they walked to the Café.

"Do you think you'll be free again this afternoon?" he asked hopefully, ignoring Ryou.

"I'm not sure. I'll see how things turn out," she said pensively, begging Ryou in her mind to keep his mouth shut. But, unfortunately, Ryou can't read thoughts, and said, "Whatever. The Café won't be busy today... You can have the afternoon off." Ichigo felt like crying. _Why? Why does he have to be so understanding? Why can't he be unreasonable like usual?_

"Ichigo?" Ryou asked when she didn't reply.

"Oh...uh..." she flustered, trying to sort her thoughts, then, "Oh, thank you so much Shirogane-san!" She then turned to Mayasa and said, "Looks like a date!" He smiled and hugged her, and then left. Once Mayasa was out of sight, Ichigo's face dropped. She looked accusingly at Ryou, and stomped off.

"What's wrong now? I let you go on your stupid date!" Ryou yelled, stomping after her. They reached the Café. "Nothing!" Ichigo yelled, bursting through the door. The other girls looked at her, surprised, but was even more surprised when they saw Shirogane trudging in after her. "What do you mean 'nothing'?" he asked, also angry now. Ichigo swung to face him, and said loudly, "Why did you let me off? I didn't ask you!"

"Well, excuse me! Don't you want to go on your stupid date with that baka Mayasa?" he yelled, both confused and annoyed.

"No!" she yelled. There was a shocked silence in the Café. Ichigo turned pink when she realised what she had said. She regained her composure somewhat and then said as calmly as possible, "I mean.. uh, I don't want to go on a date with him just so you can... eh.. get rid of me or something. Of course I want to go on a date with Mayasa. I lo-.. um... um... " Ichigo floundered. _I don't love Mayasa... Why on earth didn't I think before I spoke?_ Ichigo realised that everyone was staring at her. "Oh, never mind!" she yelled, throwing her arms into the air and stomping off to the changing rooms.

"What's up with her?" Mint asked, sipping her morning tea.

"How the hell should _I_ know!" Shirogane roared, annoyed, and went upstairs. Everyone in the Café felt the building rattle as he slammed his door shut.

That day at the Café wasn't pleasant. Outside it was pouring rain, and inside it was as though a dark thunder cloud hung over Ichigo and Ryou. Ichigo glared at all her customers, and Ryou snapped at all the girls excepts Ichigo. He decided it was best to ignore her. Around 3 p.m., the Café was empty of all the customers. It was sort of dark inside the Café. The girls just sat around chatting, while Ichigo was getting ready for her "date". _Maybe I should call and cancel? _she mused, taking off her uniform. "Argh! Come on!" Ichigo yelled, struggling with a ribbon behind her back. She tried getting at it, spinning and spinning as she tried to reach it, but all she did was make herself dizzy. "Argh!" she yelled again. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. "Is everything okay in there Ichigo?" a voice asked. It was Keiichiro.

"You can come in, Keiichiro-chan," Ichigo said, a resigned sound to her voice. Keiichiro came in, and asked again, "What's wrong?"

"'Wrong'? Nothing's 'wrong'! I enjoy struggling to take of my uniform," Ichigo said with anger that wasn't really directed at Keiichiro.

"That's not nice, Ichigo," Keiichiro chided, looking slightly hurt. Ichigo sighed. "I'm sorry Keiichiro-chan. It's just everything that happened this morning is making me bits stressed," Ichigo apologised.

"That's okay," he smiled reassuringly. "Now how can I help?" he asked. Ichigo turned her back to him and said over her shoulder, "The ribbon. If you could just undo it for me I'd be grateful."

"Maybe I should get one of the girls," Keiichiro said blushing, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Whatever. It's not like you're going to see anything, just undo the ribbon please. I'm already late as it is," Ichigo said moodily. Keiichiro stepped forward and started undoing the ribbon.

"Ichigo onee-chan, Shirogane-san is looking for you, na no da!" Purin called, entering the changing room. She stopped as she entered, her eyes growing wide. "Keiichiro-san is undressing Ichigo onee-chan!" Purin yelled at the top of her voice. Keiichiro let go of the ribbon and took a step away from her, while Ichigo put her face in her hands, blushing. All the girls, including Ryou, came speeding into the changing room, excited to see what was going on. Mint looked amused, Retasu looked embarrassed, Zakuro's expression was hard to place, but it looked like pity, and Ryou looked constipated and pale.

"So that's why you didn't want to go on a date with Mayasa," Mint said suggestively.

Ichigo turned to face her and said, "No! Keiichiro-chan was just helping me untie my ribbon. "

"'Keiichiro-_chan'_?" Mint asked. Ichigo realised her slip off tongue way too late, and contented herself by shoeing everyone, including Keiichiro, out the door. "Purin, before you go, just untie my dress, would you?" Ichigo asked the little girl. She was happy to oblige, and had the knot undone in a matter of seconds.

"Thanks," Ichigo said, and close the door behind Purin. _Great,_ Ichigo thought, plopping down on a bench, _now everyone thinks me and Keiichiro-san are lovers...I just called him "chan" 'cause he's a dear friend of mine, not because I like him or anything. And now Ryou-kun has an even bigger reason to think I'm with Keiichiro, thanks to yesterday's incident and everything that happened this morning._

There was a knock at the door followed by a hesitant, "Can I come in?" The voice was male. Ichigo assumed it was Keiichiro, and called, "Hold on, Keiichiro-chan, I'm just dressing." She quickly put on a long white skirt and blue long-sleeved top that sat snugly against her well-formed body. "You can come in now," she called, her back to the door as she slipped her feet into her sandals.

"I'm sorry for letting my tongue slip," Ichigo said, searching for something in her bag. She felt arms circle around her waist and gasped. "Keiichiro-chan, what are you do-" she began annoyed, turning in his arms to face him. But it wasn't Keiichiro. She found herself staring into two bright blue eyes, a puzzled expression in them. "Ryou-kun!" she gasped, surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you needed help undoing any dresses," he said teasingly, his voice an intense whisper.

"I- I'm fine," Ichigo stuttered, blushing at the warmth that emanated from his body.

"Are you taking a jacket? It's cold outside," he said, pressing her tightly to him. Ichigo sharply took a breath. She loved the sensation that he gave her, she loved everything about him. Ryou bent his head and pressed his warm lips softly against the cold skin of her neck. Ichigo let out a small moan of pleasure. Suddenly, he let go of her, making her seek support from the wall to stop herself from falling over. "Enjoy your date, Strawberry," he said, and left. Ichigo was, to say the least, very confused. _Why on earth would Ryou-kun do that? _she wondered. Realising she was very late, she pulled on a denim-jacket and ran out the door, deciding to think about Ryou's strange behaviour later.

* * *

Tried as she might, Ichigo couldn't stop thinking about Ryou as she walked to the bus stop, umbrella open over her head to keep the rain from her body. She wasn't disturbed by it, or the fact that she had liked it. What disturbed her was Ryou's sudden desire to do such a thing. _Why now? After all this time?_

Ichigo almost walked into Mayasa thanks to her pre-occupation with her thoughts. "Ichigo?" Mayasa asked, trying to see her face through the dense rain.

"Oh, hi Aoyama-kun! How are you?" she asked energetically, smiling brightly.

"I'm fine, thanks," he said, taking her hand and walking close to her to keep her warm. They walked in silence for a while, and then Mayasa led them to a small coffee shop. They were shown to a table where they sat down and each ordered a hot cup of cocoa. "I wanted to tell you something yesterday, " Mayasa began, "but I never got the chance." He reached over the table and took Ichigo's hands. Ichigo panicked. She couldn't get out of this now. She would either have to lie to him, or tell the truth, neither of which were an option. Mayasa gazed lovingly into her eyes, mistaking her slightly wet eyes for anticipation, not dread. "I love you, Ichigo," he said. Silence. He looked at her expectantly, and she dropped her head. She felt so guilty, so awful for allowing things to get so far. "Ichigo?" he asked, worried by the fact that she didn't reply.

"I-I'm sorry Mayasa," she said, her voice choked with tears. "I'm so very sorry for making you fall in love with me. I liked you, and thought the feeling to grow, but what I had mistaken for love was only friendship, nothing more. I wish... I wish this never happened." Tears started flowing freely over her cheeks. She never wanted to hurt Mayasa. Mayasa got up and walked out to her, taking her into his arms. "I'm sorry Ichigo. I can't make you love me, and I won't," he said sadly. He really did love this funny girl, but he didn't want to force her into anything she didn't want. "Thanks for telling me the truth," he continued, laughing softly. Ichigo looked up at him, surprised. "You're not mad at me?" she asked.

"No, I'm not. Let's get you back to the Café, " he said. He quickly went to cancel their order, and then took her back to Café Mew Mew.

"Goodbye, Ichigo. I'll always love you!" he said once they were safely inside the Café. He gave her a kiss on her cheek, and then left. Ichigo felt lost and alone as she watched him leave.

* * *

Ryou sighed. He couldn't concentrate on his work. "Baka," he whispered to himself, stretching his arms over his head. Ichigo... She was the one that plagued his thoughts. She and Keiichiro. What he had seen was evidence enough that they were in love. There was a knock at the door and Keiichiro entered. _Speak of the devil,_ he thought, amusing himself with the statement. "I wanted to talk to you Ryou," Keiichiro said, pulling a chair up next to Ryou.

"What about?" Ryou asked with a don't-care attitude.

"About Ichigo," Keiichiro said. Ryou paled noticeably, but said nothing. "I know you think there's something going on between me and her, but perhaps if I explain a few things you'd think otherwise," Keiichiro said.

"You don't need to explain anything to me, Keiichiro. It's none of my business," Ryou said.

Keiichiro ignored him and began his explanation. "Well, the first things that made you suspicious was the incident in the kitchen yesterday afternoon-"

"Suspicious? When I see your hands exploring inside her shirt and then her kissing you? Never!" Ryou said sarcastically.

Keiichiro ignored him once again and continued, "Firstly, I had planted a small device under her shirt, which required me to lift her shirt. The device was to alert me in case she wanted to get out of her date with Mayasa-san-" Once again, Ryou interrupted.

"Why would she want to get out of the date. She came to me herself to ask if she could get the afternoon off," he said.

"She never actually expected you to agree. To be honest, I think she was hoping you would say no. Anyway, she then kissed me out of gratitude. Purely gratitude, I assure you." Keiichiro paused, waiting to see whether Ryou was going to dispute the fact. When Ryou said nothing, he continued. "The second incident was the embarrassing position in which you found us last night. See, Mayasa was about to tell Ichigo that he loves her, and she pushed the panic button. Doing the only thing I could think off, I called her and told her she was needed at the Café. She knew it was me helping her out, and gratefully came here. We were discussing some general things over some coffee and cake when she remembered the device. She attempted to remove it, but without success, so I offered to aid her. The buckle was at the back, and required to put my arms around her middle to reach it. The device gave off an electric pulse, bringing us both off balance, landing us in the position you caught us."

"Why didn't she want Mayasa to tell her he.. eh.. loves her?" Ryou asked uncomfortably. Things were starting to make sense, and he was starting to feel guilty about several of the mean things he had said about Keiichiro in his thoughts.

"She would then have to tell him she loves him, and she wouldn't have been able to do so honestly," Keiichiro replied.

"So that's why she was so angry with me this morning," Ryou mused softly. He looked at Keiichiro and said, "Continue."

"Then there was this afternoon with Purin. She really did put Ichigo and myself in a humiliating situation. Ichigo was in a hurry and had trouble undoing one of her ribbons, and asked me to help. I offered to call one of the other girls, but she was in a rush and said, or rather snapped, that I might as well do it since I wouldn't actually see anything." Keiichiro paused for a second, and anticipating Ryou's next question, said, "And she truly didn't mean anything when she referred to me as 'Keiichiro-chan', it was merely out of force of habit. I've grown quite fond of her, in a paternal way, of course, and she's grown quite fond of me, and it sort of came naturally."

"I see," Ryou said pensively. "And why did you think it necessary to explain all this to me?"

"That you'll have to figure out for yourself, my friend," Keiichiro said. He smiled and left for home.

"Thanks Keiichiro," Ryou whispered.

* * *

Ryou was pondering all the new information when he heard a sound downstairs in the Café. He waited for a moment, and then went down to check it out. "Ichigo?" he said once he reached the bottom of the stairs, surprised to find the girl crying at a table.

"Ryou-kun," she said, looking up at him. "I'm so sorry for everything," she choked. Ryou walked to her and gave her a hug. "Shh, shh, don't worry about it. I'm sorry... for making you go on those dates with Mayasa," he said, stroking her hair. He saw her puzzled look, and then added, "Keiichiro explained it to me."

"Oh," she said weakly, twirling a piece of his shirt with her finger. There was a silence in which they revelled being in each other's arms. "I love you, Ichigo," Ryou whispered, hugging her more tightly. Ryou got worried by her silence, and looked down at her expression. She was smiling, lovingly gazing into his eyes. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "I love you too, Ryou..." she said against his lips. At that moment, Ryou cracked. He possessively brought his lips down on hers, kissing her with a passion that surprised her. She responded to his kiss with ecstasy and fire, allowing her fingers to slide into his soft blonde hair. Time stopped at that moment. The outside world wasn't important. Ichigo was happy to finally be with her one true love, and Ryou was happy to finally hold his precious angel in his arms. Nothing else mattered.

* * *

Yay! So that's it! I hope you all enjoyed it... I'm not a IchigoxMayasa fan... he's not man enough... anyway, I don't hate him.. I find him adorable... like a lil' puppy or something... 

My next fanfic (and yet again I will deny this in court or any other place) will be lots and lots of chapters with a plot and storyline, and have less fluff and more thinking, though fluff is okay... While I was writing this I got this twisted desire to do IchigoxKeiichiro... but I don't think I will...

Anyway, constructive critisism is very much welcome... I'm new at this and not quite sure what the public wants... So help out, please! And I think I should get a new keyboard with the letters arranged differently... I keep hitting "b" instead of "n"...

Abyway, (agaib)... Thabks for the read...

:) (I wish there was a smiley that sticks out its tongue... o well)


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